The first trading day of the month is usually good to equities, but after a two-day respite, stocks went back back to broad-based declines. The sharp rise in oil prices overshadowed some encouraging corporate and economic news. Continue reading Stocks Plunge as Oil Nears $100 a Barrel and Gold Hits Record High Stocks Plunge as Oil Nears $100 a Barrel and Gold Hits Record High originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:20:00. Filed Under: Energy , Economy , Investing , Ford Motor Co , General Motors , Market News Permalink | Tweet this! | Comments